Litchfield Historic District, in

Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town. There are also three unincorporat ...

, is a

National Historic Landmark District National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

designated in 1968 as a notable and well-preserved example of a typical late 18th century

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

village. and As a National Historic Landmark, it is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

(NRHP). It is the core area of a larger NRHP-listed

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

that includes the entire borough of Litchfield and was designated a state historic district in 1959. and Borough of Litchfield Historic District Commission
Town of Litchfield website, accessed January 28, 2010 This residential district is anchored by the Litchfield meetinghouse (1829) and is predominantly

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

with clapboarding, gables and hipped roofs.

Litchfield Town Green

At the center of the district is the Litchfield Town Green in the area of the intersection between

U.S. Route 202 U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware to Maine, also traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massa ...

and Route 63, the main through routes of the town of Litchfield. The

village green A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...

was originally established in 1720 and was primarily used as a common pasture ground, in addition to being the site of the first town meetinghouse, which was constructed in 1723. In the following years, other buildings were built on the green, including the first schoolhouse in the area in 1732, and the county courthouse in 1751, when Litchfield became the county seat of newly constituted Litchfield County. The use of the green as pasture ceased after the Revolutionary War and became used as a military parade ground. Its transformation into a park began in 1836, when it was officially designated by the town as such. The green was used as the center for recruitment during the Civil War and was also the place returning soldiers were welcomed. In the 20th century, various trees and shrubs were planted, and benches added as well. Several war monuments as well as a memorial fountain were also constructed. LitchfieldHD 1812building 1484

South Street

Along South Street are many houses. On South Street is the Tapping Reeve House and Law School, also known as

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Whi ...

, a one-room schoolhouse that was the first law school in the United States and where

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He ...

and others studied.

North Street

Sheldon Tavern, on North Street, is one of the contributing properties. It was previously the home of Revolutionary War colonel

Elisha Sheldon Elisha Sheldon (March 6, 1740 - March 11, 1805) was a Colonel in the American Revolution. Born in Lyme, Connecticut,John C. Fredriksen, ''Revolutionary War Almanac'' (2006), p. 628. Sheldon joined the Continental Army at the outbreak of hostilities ...

, for whom Sheldon was named.Colonel Elisha Sheldon - Sheldon
at Waymarking.com.

East Street

The district includes historic houses on East Street descending a hill away from the church and downtown area.

References

External links

First Congregational Church, Litchfield, CT
home page All of the following

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...